I Need some serious help or something im gunna start from the day i got my tank

When I First Got my tank i set it up just like any other tank. Cleaned The Gravel The Plants And everything thing else. added the water along with water conditioner.

About 2-3 days later i went to petsmart to get my water tested to see if i could get some fish to start the cycle with fish. they said everything was good soo i got 3 tiger barbs and a red tail shark. and got my own test kit to make sure it was ok to put the fish in and it was about a week later i went back to pet store to get 2 tiger barbs 3 red glass barbs and 2 bumblee bee catfish since they said it would be ok soo i did. then about three days later i got some more fish which they said would be fine to do 3 more catfish, 1 red glass barb, 2 rosy barbs and a bala shark. I Know i know i stocked the tank way to fast but keep in mind i was new to this. the filter i got gets clogged with fish poop and food soo i had to clean it since it would cause water to overflow. now ive been having problems with ammonia for the past 2 weeks which has been 8.0. Yes i know Really High And Ive Done 50% Water Changes And 65% Water Changes. Like They Said To Do At Petsmart And Here So I Did. But Everytime I Go To retest the water its still 8.0 ammonia. and its like this everytime i change the water. soo on 5/2/07 i bought bio spira and it arrived here on the 5/4/07. so before i put it in i did a 50% water change added my water conditioner and waited about 20 mins before adding bio spira and before i added it i checked the levels which were to my shocking still 8.0 then i added it. now ive been testing quite frequently to see if theres any thing new and still nothing now its on to day 2 and ive had signs of nitrite but it has dissappered and no trace of nitrates. now my fish are stressing everynight it seems like when i go to turn the lights off cause i will pop out to get something to drink and my red tail will be clear and my tigers will be faded but 2 mins later back to normal then about 5 mins later again theyll be stressing and the symptoms point to ammonia posining which is acceptable to the high levels.

Now i get myself stressed out cause i feel bad that my fish are going through this and everyone is saying that i need water changes but i cant now cause i added the bio spira since everyone says itll work but ive also herd that i need lower ammonia levels but according to the package it supposed to help with aquaiurms having problems. so if any one has any suggestions please help

please dont tell me to do waterchanges since ill need to do more then 65% of My Tank Which i cant do

dont tell me to use andy ammonia lock or removing chemicals

thanks for listening

The-Wolf

05-06-2007 09:01 AM

I suggest getting some live bacteria, either in the form or Soll bactinettes (Europe) or bio-spira (USA/Canada) or getting some mature filter media from someone elses tank.

failing that if you add Zeolite to the filter it will absorb the ammonia, however this will prevent the tank from cycling.

your problems have been caused by adding too many fish too quickly.
always take what LFS's say with a pinch of salt, they are there after all to sell you stuff. there are some good LFS's but untill you fully trust what they are telling you, get confirmation from another source, like this and other forums.

hellow

05-06-2007 09:39 AM

What size tank is yours?

xxthrwitdwnxx

05-06-2007 12:47 PM

29 us gallons and if u read i got bio spira

The-Wolf

05-06-2007 02:59 PM

I suggested going and getting some, rather than ordering it to come in the mail.
bio-spira is a live bacteria and therefor needs to be chilled to preserve it
once it warms up, and without a food source it dies and is useless.

xxthrwitdwnxx

05-06-2007 07:27 PM

special delivery came packed with 2 refrigerated packs pluse was delivered to the house in a refrigerated truck and was plenty cold when i got it. and no stores around here carry it

MattD

05-07-2007 12:00 PM

Your tank water was 'fine' because you didn't do anything to start the cycle. It was just . . . water.

Tanks need weeks to be cycled. I've heard of it being done in several days with Bio-Spira but I haven't done it myself so I wouldn't recommend risking it.

hellow

05-07-2007 07:28 PM

I would recommend buying a filter made for a higher gallon tank than yours because when i bought my filter my old one wasent doing a good job because it came with my aquarium. Well, i installed my filter and everything has been good since execpt for the worms but...

kat1103

05-07-2007 08:42 PM

It honestly sounds like your main problems are that your tank hasn't cycled yet and that it's also overstocked. You should only have 1 inch per fish per gallon and that doesn't mean 29 fish for 29 gallons. It means that when your fish are their adult size. So, your bala shark can grow up to 12 inches and your tiger barbs could grow up to 3 inches a piece. You have to consider that when stocking your tank. That is probably also why your ammonia is so high. Good luck :o

xxthrwitdwnxx

05-08-2007 12:54 AM

ok i think i might have a bunch of mini cycles going on but i finally have some trace of nitrites wich is a big relief for me